V-LARA Guide¶
What is V-LARA?¶
V-LARA is a solution for booking Special Use Airspace (SUA), which interfaces with TopSky. This reduces the workload required to keep track of forum NOTAMs and activate SUA manually, as well as the work involved in hiding the posts.
This guide is split into two parts, the guide to pilots, and the guide to controllers.
Misuse of V-LARA
Please report any misuse or excessive bookings to VATSIM UK Operations, or another member of VATSIM UK staff. Misuse of V-LARA may result in having access withdrawn.
Pilots¶
How to create a booking¶
First, open V-LARA, and select the option EGXXZAMC | United Kingdom, then log in with your VATSIM account. This will bring you to the main page, which consists of 3 parts, the reservations display, the actions display, and the map display.
The navigation bar on the left has several buttons to perform actions, namely
- Notification Icon (only in use for AMC/ATC),
- Status Icon - Displays the current connectivity to the server,
- Help Button - Links to this overall page,
- Logout Button - Logs the current user out of V-LARA,
The reservation display shows current bookings, either as a list, or as a timeline.
The actions display shows all actions relevant to the logged in user, and is updated automatically without the need to refresh the page.
To edit a booking you have created, go to the actions display. The status of a reservation is colour coded:
- RESERVED (can be edited by the pilot)
- PENDING (only can be edited by AMC/ATC from this point)
- ACTIVE
- CANCELLED
Note
If an ACTIVE reservation is ending in less than 10 minutes, the 'End Date' field will flash red. If the activity is ongoing, contact ATC to extend your booking, as otherwise it will automatically be change to CANCELLED at the end of the booking.
Click on the 'Add reservation' button in the top-right to create a new reservation.
First, add the callsign(s) of the aircraft that will be using the SUA. You can seperate callsigns by pressing Enter or by clicking somewhere outside the callsign field.
Then, under the 'Activity' field, you need to select the booking type, the responsible agency, and the permeability (whether other aircraft can pass through under certain circumstances or not). You also need to specify the activity, the priority, and the maximum number of different aircraft that will be utilising the SUA.
Note
If you are a VSOA pilot, enter your VSOA into the 'Responsbile Agency' field; if that is not possible enter it in the remarks section.
After this, you need to specify the date and time that your booking will start and end in UTC. All bookings must be made at least 30 minutes in advance, for at least 30 minutes, and for no more than 8 hours. Further, overlapping reservations for the same airspace blocks (by identifier) is not possible, and cannot be made more than 7 days in advance.
Finally, there is the airspace section and remarks. In the airspace section, enter the SUA area(s) that you wish to utilise. The lower and upper height will be automatically entered.
Warning
Do not extend the vertical limits to cover more airspace than what is covered by the SUA defaults.
In the remarks section, you can enter any remarks that you may have.
How to edit a booking¶
In order to edit a booking yourself, its status must be RESERVED. Once your booking is PENDING, contact the appropriate radar controller in order to make changes.
To edit your reservation, left click on the booking in the actions display, and edit it as required.
How to activate a booking¶
As a pilot you cannot activate a SUA booking. You should contact the appropriate radar controller in order to activate your booking when you are about to use it, or when they log on.
If you need to extend your booking, contact the controller before the end of the booking.
Controllers¶
How to activate a booking¶
Note
You should only activate reservations if it is within your area of responsibility, or immediately adjacent to it.
First, open V-LARA, and select the option EGXXZAMC | United Kingdom, then log in through the VATSIM Single Sign On. This will bring you to the main page, which consists of 3 parts, the reservations display, the actions display, and the map display.
The navigation bar on the left has several buttons to perform actions, namely
- Notification Icon (only in use for AMC/ATC),
- Status Icon - Displays the current connectivity to the server,
- Help Button - Links to this overall page,
- Logout Button - Logs the current user out of V-LARA,
The reservation display shows current bookings, either as a list, or as a timeline.
The actions display shows all actions relevant to the logged in user, and is updated automatically without the need to refresh the page.
In the top left, AMC will be shown when logged in as a controller. This is automatic. If it does not show, refresh the page. This is required to activate reservations.
The status of a reservation is colour coded:
- RESERVED (can be edited by the pilot)
- PENDING (only can be edited by AMC/ATC from this point)
- ACTIVE
- CANCELLED
Note
If an ACTIVE reservation is ending in less than 10 minutes, the 'End Date' field will flash red.
A reservation will be visible in TopSky for 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the reservation. It will not be displayed as active unless if activated by ATC in the V-LARA web client.
To activate a reservation, follow these steps:
- Verify that the area is pre-active on TopSky,
- Edit the reservation in V-LARA if required, and inform the pilot of any changes,
- Ensure the area is suitably clear of traffic,
- Activate the area from the editor by clicking the 'Activate Now' button,
- The area has now been activated and will be shown as active in TopSky in about 5 minutes time.
How to edit or cancel a booking¶
If the pilot informs you that they have finished well before the end time of a reservation, either the pilot or controller can cancel it. Reservations are automatically cancelled at their scheduled end time.
- Open the reservation editor,
- Click the 'CANCEL RESERVATION' button,
- Enter a reason,
- Click the 'CONFIRM CANCELLATION' button,
- It has now been cancelled, and will remain visible in the reservations display for about 15 minutes.
If the pilot informs you that it is necessary to extend their booking, edit their reservation to change the end time before the end time. If it needs to be done after the booking ends, you will need to create a new reservation.
How to create a booking¶
If the pilot has not created a reservation, but wishes to activate SUA, then share the pilot guide with them. After that create a reservation for them. You can also create bookings if their booking has expired, and needs to be extended.
Click on the 'Add reservation' button and enter the required information.
For more information, please look at the pilot guide